Clutch Noise
 

My car starts to make a loud friction noise after driving in stop and go traffic for 30 minutes. The noise sounds like there's something spinning inside my back wheels even when I'm stopped that's hitting something and grinding. It makes the noise even when my car is in neutral or the clutch is pressed all the way in, but it gets the loudest when I slightly engage the clutch. If I drive in 2nd or 3rd gear for a minute or more, the sound goes away for a short time.

How does your car drive? When you put it in 1st and go, does it seem like it's barely moving though your giving it gas with the clutch all the way out? also when you put it in 2nd?

My clutch was pretty bad when I bought the car, I have to have it almost all the way out before it catches, but once it catches it seems to stick and it's responsive.

New clutch is going in next week.

sounds like it's slipping, you need a new friction plate but might as well get a new clutch setup.

Would it make that noise even when it's in neutral or clutch is in if it was just slipping? I don't notice any slipping between gears, it engages within a second even at 3000+ rpm. Plus, it doesn't do it all the time, only when it's hot from driving slow for 30+ min.

i didn't read it all, you said it does stick and it's responds well.

hmmmm. so it makes the noise in neutral at at complete stop right? and the clutch pushed in right? that's strange to make a noise if the drive train isn't turning, then it has to be something besides it. i'll have to think about that one.

Yeah, it reminds me of a baseball card in bike spokes in the way that it speeds up when I accelerate, although it continues at a lower speed even when the car is not moving. I'm guessing there's something that is getting hot and expanding just to the point of lightly scraping, but I'm pretty stumped.

I'm getting my new clutch in as soon as I get back from vacation next monday, so maybe I'll wait and see if that fixes it.

and you're sure it's not part of your cat back rattling or a cat shield?

That wouldn't explain why it only makes the noise when driving in stop & go for 30+ min, and it deffinitely sounds like something is spinning. It gets louder the longer I continue to drive in 1st on it. If I park the car for like 10 minutes, it goes away.

it would explain why you hear it after driving around for 30 mins... as the exhaust heats up the metal expands. r3dn3ck was saying maybe it's rattling against something after it expands.

although i dont know why it would sound like it was spinning.

If I drive going 20mph+ for hours it won't make the noise, but only when I'm in first stopping a lot. I have a stock exhaust. Also, the noise stops if I drive going 30+ for a few minutes and slow back down.

well you'll figure out if it's the clutch when you swap in the new one.

yeah, when your under the car and swapping it out, look around for anything that looks like it's scraping or touching. good luck with it.